Runaway Dreams
by Shuichu-to-Shuichi
Summary: After running away, Daisuke winds up in an alleyway during the worst storm all year. Dark, a junior at Mizu High School, allows him to stay at his apartment. The two quickly become friends, but it won't last if Daisuke’s past catches up to him. DarkxDai
1. Chapter 1

Runaway Dreams

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It was raining harder than ever now. Each drop pierced the boy's skin like needles. The weather was only supposed to get worse.

This morning he'd heard a couple talking about the storm and that the roads were going to be closed around midnight because it'd be too dangerous for anyone to drive… but then they'd seen him… sitting in the alley, his clothes ripped and dirty… eyes red and swollen... and who knows how bad the smell was after three days with no baths.

The girl felt sorry for him, but her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her and pulled her away. They walked down the street and pretended not to have seen him.

Just like everyone else had.

Well, at least the _rain_ was being nice. It would take care of the smell for now. Even if he had to suffer through it.

Suddenly, the downpour of icy cold water stopped. Daisuke looked at the ground below him. A few inches away, the rain was still drumming against the pavement.

"Up here."

Daisuke followed the voice. Above him was a handsome boy holding a black umbrella over both of them. He was smiling and winked an amethyst eye at Daisuke when he looked up. Daisuke stared at the boy's hair. It was purple. He'd never seen purple hair. Then again, Daisuke couldn't really talk about bizarre colors. His hair and eyes were _red_.

"Do you like hot chocolate?"

"Huh?"

"Do you like hot chocolate?"

After a pause, Daisuke answered,

"...I guess."

"Awesome! At the café where I work, the owner gave me a leftover box of hot chocolate mix. It's actually pretty decent. Wanna try it?"

Daisuke stared at the strange boy. He didn't know Daisuke. He _couldn't_ know Daisuke… so why was he acting all friendly?

"Why do you want me to?"

The boy smiled and responded, "I can't drink it all by myself."

"Do you usually invite people you find on the street to your house?"

"Only the cute ones."

Daisuke stared down at his shoes. He'd been running so hard that one of them had broken. His toes had popped right out of the front. That was the only reason he was in an alley talking to a suspicious guy who wanted to drink hot chocolate with him. Otherwise, he'd have been farther away by now… as far as he could get from his old home.

But his shoe _did_ break. And he _was_ here. So he might as well get used to it.

"Do you have marshmallows?"

The boy above him laughed, accidentally shaking droplets onto his uncovered back.

"It wouldn't be hot chocolate without them."

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"So, what's your name?"

"…Daisuke. What's yours?"

"Dark. Dark Mousy."

"Really? That's a cool name."

"Thank you. So, Daisuke, where are you from?"

The redhead boy took a sip from his mug. The hot chocolate burned his tongue, but he pretended not to notice. He needed to stall. There were no lies he could think of that were believable at the moment.

"It's fine if you don't answer. Are you going to be staying around awhile? This town has some pretty cool stuff. I can show you around."

"I should… get going. I just need to get some new shoes, and then I've gotta run."

"…What are you running from?"

Again, Daisuke took a sip of his hot chocolate. He couldn't let anything about his past slip out or he might end up back there again. _They_ were probably looking for him anyway.

"I've really gotta go," Daisuke said.

He placed the mug on the table and headed back for the entrance. His shoes were still damp and squeaked as he walked.

"What if I don't _want_ you to leave?"

Daisuke looked behind him. Dark was leaning against the doorsill to the hallway. The redhead rolled his eyes and put his hand on the doorknob.

"Yeah, and what exactly are you going to—"

Daisuke stared at the door. The knob wouldn't budge. He spotted a keypad next to the door. Behind him, Dark began whistling and strolled back into the kitchen. Over his shoulder he yelled,

"Too bad. It looks like you need a password to open that door."

Daisuke stormed into the kitchen behind him.

"Open the door!"

"Why?"

"I need to leave!"

"_Why_?"

"Because… I do."

"That's not a real answer. Besides, do you hear the thunder? It's pretty bad out there. I've got extra clothes you can change into for tonight, and the bathroom's down the hall if you want to take a shower."

Daisuke meant to refuse, but he hadn't had a shower since he'd run away… three days ago. A shower sounded good right now. Real good. He stared at the door Dark had pointed to for the bathroom.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

"I didn't say I was staying."

"You didn't have to. That little burst of joy on your face when I said 'shower' was enough. Hmm… I'm in the mood for some pizza. Is that okay?"

"Are you going to let me out of here?" Daisuke asked, still staring at the bathroom door.

"Are you going to tell me why you're in a hurry to go?"

Daisuke shook his head.

"Then I'm not letting you leave."

"I have _rights_ you know."

"And I'm choosing to ignore them. Now, there should be a clean towel already in the bathroom, and I'll hand you some pajamas when you're done."

Daisuke glanced hesitantly at the boy before turning towards the bathroom.

"Oh, Daisuke, what kind of pizza do you like?"

"Um… whatever kind there is," he replied. Back at his old home, Daisuke had never been allowed to have pizza. There wasn't much he could have back home unless a servant snuck it to him. But that was rare… and dangerous on their part.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me you've never tried pizza! Have you been living under a rock all this time?"

Dark smiled incredulously, but regretted it when Daisuke ran into the bathroom, slamming the door. He made a mental note to watch what he said as he pulled some mozzarella cheese out of the refrigerator.

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"Daisuke, what do you think of the pizza?"

Both boys were sitting at the table in the kitchen. Daisuke was wearing a silken black pajama suit from Dark's stuff. It felt soft on his skin when he moved.

"It's… good. What's it made of?"

"I didn't know what you'd like so I made a simple pizza. It's just cheese and tomato sauce."

"Do you cook a lot?"

Dark nodded.

"I work part-time at a café. I mostly bake things at work, but I know a little bit here and there."

"Could you… teach me?"

"Oh, so you want to stick around?"

Daisuke blushed. He'd almost forgotten about his plan to run away.

"Well… I need to repay you for everything so… kind of."

"That's no problem, but since you're staying, we'll do some sight-seeing tomorrow, okay?"

Daisuke tilted his head.

"How do you do that?"

"You'll see," Dark responded. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice in one day. "For now, we should go to sleep. It's getting late. Come on."

Dark put both empty plates into the sink and left the kitchen, Daisuke following him down the hallway. When Dark opened a door at the end of the hall, Daisuke hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Dark asked.

Daisuke stared at him. Everything was starting to add up.

This guy had invited him into his home even though he was a stranger. Then, he'd refused to let him leave. And now there was only one bed?

"Are… are you trying to… _do_ something to me?"

He watched as Dark raised an eyebrow and tried to stifle a laugh, failing miserably.

"I'm not joking! Are you?"

"…how did you even come up with that?" Dark asked, his amethyst eyes watering from muffled laughs.

"You invite me here even though I'm a complete stranger… and you said you only did that with cute ones… then you refuse to let me leave, and now there's only _one_ bed."

Another round of giggles floated through the air. Dark sunk to the floor laughing.

"I'm sorry…" he gasped, "I shouldn't be laughing… but I was _not_… expecting that."

Forcing himself to sit up, Dark saw Daisuke bite his lip in embarrassment.

"Aw, don't feel bad. I'm not making fun of you or anything. It's just most people… okay, maybe not most people, but a lot of people wouldn't come to that conclusion. Or would they? Oh, well…. Yes, I only have one bed. I was going to let you sleep on it, and I'd take the couch. Is that okay?"

Daisuke looked back at the living room behind him. He'd forgotten about the black leather couch in there. Even for a couch, it looked kind of comfortable.

"Why would you sleep on the couch? It's your apartment."

"Do you _want_ to sleep on the couch?"

"It's fine with me."

"You know it's louder in there, right? That storm might keep you up for a while."

Daisuke shrugged and headed for the living room. He heard Dark moving around in the back, and the purple-haired boy appeared with a blanket moments later.

"Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Dark said, walking back to his room.

"…What's a bed bug?" Daisuke asked, alert for anything moving on the floor.

He heard a laugh from the other room, but it didn't ease his fear.

"Dark! What's a bed bug?"

"I was just kidding, Daisuke! It's just an old saying. Go to sleep. We have to get up early!"

Nervously, Daisuke lied down after checking the couch for any bugs and drifted into a restless sleep.

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By one a.m., the storm had reached its highest point. An explosion of thunder woke the sleeping boy on the couch. Dazed, Daisuke sat up, trying to recall where he was. He trembled under the thunder's roar at the thought of the last storm he could remember. It wasn't a good memory.

A soft snore came from down the hallway, and he followed it into Dark's room. The figure sprawled on the bed was the only sign of life he could hear.

Daisuke nudged him.

The figure stirred after a second, and two amethyst eyes blinked lazily up at him.

"Daisuke?" the boy mumbled. He ran a pale hand through his hair and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "When I said we were getting up early, I didn't mean _this_ early."

"C-can I sleep here with you?"

The words rushed out and Daisuke regretted asking. He didn't want to seem weird… but he didn't want be alone either. Too many memories were flooding back.

"Uh… sure, if you don't still think I'm a pedophi—"

Dark's words were cut off when Daisuke jumped over his body onto the bed.

"Are you okay?"

Daisuke curled up next to him, shivering under the thick comforter. He felt a warm hand pat his head.

"Don't worry. Whatever you've been through… it's over now."

Daisuke let out a content sigh and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

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My first DarkxDai fanfic… so, what do you think? If you like it or even (and probably) if you don't like, review!!! Tell me what you think, what you wanna know, or about you fave type of pancakes. Whatever you want. Please?

Shuichu: Yeah, yeah… review, blab, blah, blah… what happens in the next chapter?

Shuichi: Uh… next time in Runaway Dreams:

While showing Daisuke around town, Dark spots some mysterious men asking around for the redhead. Are they from Daisuke's past? What should Dark do? And after accidentally walking into women's bathroom, how does Daisuke plan to sneak out when the bathroom is flooded with girls there for the hour long sale in the shoes department?

Shuichu: `Til next time!

Shuichi: _Next_ time?

Shuichu: That's what the whole summary was for, Shui!

Shuichi: …oh. Now it makes sense. Well then! `Til next time!


	2. Chapter 2

OMG! Sorry for being late… really late in updating. I meant to update right after school started, but I got swamped in homework, then I, the complete idiot, spilled water on my keyboard and had to get a new one (with silent keys!!!), and finally, my internet stopped working. For. Two. Whole. Weeks. It was horrible. BUT I'm back and ready to type! So expect updates! Like this one!!!!

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Daisuke slipped his arm tightly around the warm body next to him. His eyes rolled gently backwards, fluttering lazily. He embraced the sweet smell of lavender secreting from the sheets, drowning in pleasure. This was the first good dream he'd had in a while. It felt nice.

"…mm. You awake, Daisuke?"

The redhead sat up quickly, tugging his reluctant arm away from the boy. He felt his head spin but forced his frail arms to support the sudden weight. He groaned softly as he grew accustomed to the dizziness.

"What's wrong?"

"…you're… y-you're not a dream."

Dark chuckled, his amethyst eyes twinkling under the morning light.

"Glad to hear that. It seems you aren't either," he replied, reaching up to pat Daisuke on the head.

The stunned boy ducked under the approaching hand, his red hair blurring as he fell from the bed. Dark watched curiously as Daisuke scooted further away from him until the boy was against the wall.

The redheaded boy shook nervously against the wall, waiting for Dark to move. Dark shook his shoulders and said, "I'm gonna make breakfast. You hungry?"

Daisuke slowly nodded but didn't move toward the door when Dark walked out. A few moments later he heard the kitchen faucet running and the sound of pots clanging.

From down the hall, Dark yelled, "You up for some sight-seeing today?"

It took a moment for Daisuke to understand what he was talking about.

He stood up and shuffled down the hall. Shyly, he peeked at Dark from behind the wall and whispered, "You never told me what that was."

Dark continued to rummage through his fridge as he spoke.

"Well, it's like when you… oh, there it is… uh… it's like when you go and look around at everything in a place."

Daisuke didn't respond, interested in whatever Dark was making. He winced at the sound of something cracking and watched as Dark threw two white shells into the sink. Dark gestured to a chair at the table for Daisuke and the boy sat down, still watching Dark as he worked.

"So, have you ever tried pancakes, Daisuke?"

"…Once," Daisuke mumbled.

"Do you like chocolate chips?"

"I've never tried chocolate chips, but I like chocolate."

Dark smiled a little, sure Daisuke thought the chips he was referring to were made of potatoes and chocolate.

"Well, I'm sure you'll like this."

Daisuke nodded slightly, pulling his legs up onto the chair and encircling them with his arms. Dark glanced at the satin black pajamas he'd let Daisuke wear. They were pretty big on him, but Dark like the contrast between Daisuke's eyes and the outfit.

"You wanna start getting ready while I make breakfast?"

Daisuke looked up.

"Hmm?"

"Go ahead and shower and pick out some clothes from my closet. I'll have breakfast ready when you come out, okay?"

Daisuke nodded reluctantly, wanting to watch Dark cook but slid out of the chair and headed to the bathroom. His hand tingled as it wrapped around the cold metal handle. Once he closed the door, he slipped off the loose fitting pajamas and slid open the shower door. He turned on the knob and sighed as the warm water washed over his body, slightly giggling as he remembered trying to figure out how to work the shower last night. It'd taken forever.

As Daisuke showered, he took a moment to think about his home. He felt uneasy. Would they find him here? Had he run far enough? Should he wear a disguise? What if he got caught?

Daisuke shook his head, letting water fly everywhere as he tried to clear his mind of the answers to any of those questions.

The shower knob creaked when he turned it off, and the cold quickly attacked Daisuke's frail frame as he opened the door. He shuddered and grabbed a towel from the rack next to the shower. The mirror in the bathroom was fogged, but he stared into anyway, listening to the sound coming from the kitchen.

What if Dark was caught for helping him?

Daisuke blinked back the unexpected tears shaking his head again and focusing on getting ready.

His hand still tingled as he touched the cold metal handle and proceeded down the right side of the hallway toward Dark's bedroom.

He drifted over to the closet and stared at the clothes for a moment. They were all too big for him.

Daisuke heard footsteps in the hallway and turned just in time to see Dark walk in with an apron over his pajama pants.

"Breakfast is- Oh! Sorry, I didn't know you weren't dressed!"

Daisuke shrugged.

"Do you have… um… any smaller clothes?"

Dark bit his lip, wondering if he might have kept any of his old clothes. Just then, he got an idea.

"Wait here. I'll be right back!"

Daisuke didn't have time to respond before Dark zipped out of the room. Soft beeps sounded from the other room, and a moment later, he heard the front door open and close.

Daisuke stood awkwardly in the room until he heard key rattle and the front door open again. Dark was back with a bundle in his hand.

"These should fit you! One of my neighbor's has a kid your size."

"Um… thank you."

Dark smiled and headed out of the room so Daisuke could change.

When Daisuke was alone, he unfolded the bundle and slipped on the clothes. He tiptoed back into the kitchen, but Dark wasn't there. Instead, he heard the steady stream of water from the bathroom and decided to wait for Dark in his bedroom.

Daisuke returned to the bedroom and sat on the ruffled covers on the bed, wrapping his legs in his arms again. A little while later, he heard the shower cut off, and the door opened in the hallway.

Dark appeared in the doorway, a white towel wrapped around his waist and another hanging around his shoulders. The faint trace of abs showed on his stomach, and Daisuke unconsciously examined every uncovered inch of Dark's body, noting the defined muscles and light tan. Dark smiled at him, inspecting the outfit Daisuke was wearing.

Daisuke waited as Dark's eyes studied his loose, ripped dark blue jeans and black and white striped shirt. Dark glanced down at the shoes, glad that they fit Daisuke, too. Mentally, Dark made a note to shop for clothes with Daisuke today.

"Do you like the clothes?"

Daisuke nodded sheepishly.

"They look good on you."

Daisuke broke into a smile. Dark moved over to his closet and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a sleeveless black top lined with white and a complex array of string acting like a zipper for the shirt.

Dark slipped the tp[over his head, but waited until Daisuke was distracted and staring out the window before reaching into his drawer and slipping out a pair of silk black boxers. He slipped them on under his towel and pulled his jeans on just as Daisuke turned back around.

"Is sight-seeing fun?" he asked.

Dark sat down and slipped on his shoes.

"Excited about going?"

"…kind of," Daisuke answered honestly.

Dark beckoned him out the door and they both proceeded to the kitchen where two plates of food sat waiting.

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"Daisuke, what do you think of this one?"

The redheaded boy turned around to see Dark holding up a pair of formal black pants. Apparently, Dark had decided on his own that he was buying Daisuke a whole new wardrobe. So, the two boys had been stopping at random stores and checking out clothes.

"…um… it's nice. But I thought you said we were gonna look around at everything, not just clothes."

"I know, but I wanted to get you some new clothes first. Mine don't fit you, and I don't think we can borrow clothes from my neighbor all the time. So, I'm buying you some. Plus, this is kinda fun."

"…but doesn't all this cost money?" Daisuke asked.

Dark almost snickered, but he realized it might sound like he was mocking Daisuke if he did, so he just answered, "My parents pay for it all. There's a monthly ten thousand dollar limit, and I can spend it however I want, not that I use that much. Besides, they couldn't care less about me-… about what I buy."

Daisuke caught the correction in Dark's sentence and saw the fleeting sadness in Dark's eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, he asked,

"Do they have a bathroom here?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah it's right over…. There. You see where that sign is?"

"Yeah."

"It's right under there."

"Okay… well, I'll be right back."

Dark nodded and immersed himself in picking a shirt to go with the pants he'd picked for Daisuke.

The small redhead followed Dark's instructions to the bathroom and slipped into one of the restroom stalls.

Just as he reached for the lock on the door, he heard the door open and the room filled with the sound of high-pitched laughter.

"Oh, my God! Riku, did you see who that was outside? That was Dark Mousy!"

"…uh, yeah, I—"

"I _know_!" another voice squealed outside, "Did you see him? He's cute! Do you think he's single?"

The two girls in the bathroom turned around to see a rush of girls filling into the bathroom. The one they'd heard coming in was still gossiping with her friend.

The restrooms filled with loud chatter and giggles, mostly swirling around a boy with twinkling eyes of amethyst.

Inside his stall, Daisuke was panicking. He hadn't bothered to see which restroom he'd walked into! He was in the girls' restroom.

The girls' restroom….

And now there were girls in the restroom….

And he was stuck in the stall….

In the girls' restroom….

"Is his name really Dark? That's so mysterious."

"I bet you he already has a girlfriend."

"Did you see his hair? That's the prettiest shade of purple I've ever seen!"

"I wonder who he's waiting on."

Daisuke felt his throat dry up. Dark was waiting outside for him? How could he explain coming out of the girls' restroom?

"So, are you ready to buy some shoes?"

All the girls squealed. Today was the annual one hour shoe sale. Everything was fifty dollars or less. A lot of the items originally cost a hundred or so dollars, too. So, there were a lot of girls there.

"How much time do we have before it starts?"

"Uh… seven minutes until twelve!"

Amazingly, the knock on the door could be heard over the girls. The closest person to the door opened it a little and stared straight into a pair of amethyst eyes. She gasped, shocked, almost choking on her words.

"…H-hi… c-can we help you?" she stuttered, nervous under his entrancing gaze.

"I wanted to let you beautiful ladies know that the hour long sale has already begun.

The girl's eyes widened.

"What? But it doesn't start until twelve!"

"The store clerk said they changed it up this year."

"Oh, my God!" the girl replied, rushing out the door.

Dark barely got out of the way in time as the girls rushed out of the room after the first. The room emptied in seconds, leaving Dark and an embarrassed Daisuke hiding in his stall.

"Daisuke?"

Dark heard him mumble something back.

"Daisuke, you can come out now."

The redhead mumbled something again.

"I can't hear you, Daisuke."

"I'm not a pervert!!!" the boy yelled through the stall.

Dark tried to stifle a laugh but failed miserably, his pale face turning red. He placed the bags of clothes on the floor to balance himself.

"Daisuke… I don't think you're a pervert. Don't worry. Come on out."

After a few seconds, the lock clicked and Daisuke emerged from the stall, utterly embarrassed.

"H-how'd you know I was in here?" he asked, shuffling toward the sink.

"I was going to ask you something and went to look for you in the boys' restroom, but you weren't there. So, I figured you accidentally went into this one."

"Oh… thank you," Daisuke replied. "What were you going to ask me?"

"Uh…." He replied, "Are you ready to go sight-seeing?"

Daisuke's eyes lit up in excitement. "Yes!"

"All right! What are you waiting for, then? Let's go?"

Dark picked up the bags of clothes from the floor and opened the door for Daisuke. As the excited redhead ran toward the exit, Dark glanced back at the two men he'd seen before.

Both men wore long black trench coats. They help up a picture of what Dark could barely make out as Daisuke toward the store clerk. The clerk shook his head, not recognizing the boy.

One of the men turned to catch Dark staring at him. Automatically, Dark looked for Daisuke, hoping to cover him from the two men. Luckily, Daisuke had already flown out the building, waiting as patiently as he could by Dark's car outside.

Dark hurried out the door, checking to make sure the men weren't following him.

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See? I updated. I'm alive… barely…and it's 3:12 a.m. And I'm not tired at all…. Ha-ha. That's a total lie. `Night, and check for updates soon.


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